Library of congress subject headings

DID you know? SUBJECT HEADINGS 24 out of 88 national libraries on six continents 300 specialized controlled vocabulary sets Free Access to all past documentation. Approximately 5,000 new added yearly 342,947 subject authority records 242,511 topical subject headings 61,885 geographic subject headings

Subject headings tell us about the content not the container. IS versus ABOUT Use the material in hand to discover the content. LCSH provides consistency in language use, clarifies ambiguous language. Since 2013, LC updating SH to work with RDA. Heading added as material added to Library of Congress. Headings designed with the “most important” word first – Erie, Lake Subject headings tell us about the content not the container. (IS versus ABOUT) Organization was done to try to keep related terms near each other, inversion was used for this reason and uses parentheses, subdivisions, and commas. Ex. Cooking (Fish); Art, Byzantine; Railroads—Timetables. Often LCSH uses technical terminology that would only be familiar to professionals in the field. Relationship information important in Authority records when intended audience is not familiar with the jargon of the subject heading. LCSH provides consistency in language use, clarifies ambiguous language Use the material in hand to discover the content. REMEMBER – the targeted user of LCSH is still an American/Western European, Christian, white, heterosexual male LCSH updates to RDA include expanding abbreviations, modifying a formal term to common term, re-formatting name conflicts/ RDA has relationship designators, replacing abbreviations (ca [circa]=approximately, fl [floruit/flourish]=active), LCSH describes the contents of the work, RDA is a standard for descriptive cataloging; describes the relationships

Ways to access LCSH

What is in a LCSH record? Control number -- Headings – Class numbers – References and Relationships – Sources used to build subject heading Scope/References Scope notes See Also Subdivisions Free floating Pattern Authorized Relationships (hierarchical and associative) Broad Term Narrow Term Related term Use For/USE ($w nne=former heading) Not all headings have Subject Authority Records Built headings (with free-floating subfields) do not have Authority Records

MARC and Labeled subject heading record

Building is fun(ctional)! ASSIGNING AND CONSTRUCTING SUBJECT HEADINGS Be through, but don’t over do it [20% rule] Use headings that correspond to the work Don’t overload on subject headings (<10) Start with the most important, most encompassing Be specific (specificity is not a property of a heading, but of the relationship of the term to the work) Less is more, if work covers all Use narrow term when broad term over covers Broad term and narrow term relevant, both may be used Don’t over build a subject headings (rule of 4) There is right and wrong way to build Sometimes a subject headings needs clarification. Free floating – subdivision constructed by rules, not authorization; created through a building block process by cataloger Topical ($xPolitics and government) Geographic ($zSan Diego (Calif.) Chronological/Historical ($y20th century) Form ($vFiction) Preferred order: $a[Topic] $x[Topic] $z[Geographic] $y[Chronological] $v[Form Pattern headings — standardized sets of topical and form subdivisions Authorized subdivisions (May Subd XXXX) (Not Subd XXXX)

Join the fun Join PCC (Program for Cooperative Cataloging) Commit to cataloging through cooperation BIBCO CONSER NACO SACO Make suggestions to Policy and Standards Division (PSD) PDF proposal form Geographic (yes or no) UF BT RT 670 – work that inspired change 670 – Sources for changing heading 675 – Sources looked for and not found 667 - Notes 653 field for uncontrolled subject terms Order of subject headings is predominance Subject heading must relate to 20% of the work Related headings: scope note will relate topics covered by heading. If 3 or more topics are covered then use the one overarching subject, If only 1 or 2 are covered then list headings. Do not use broader term